This invention relates to airborne avionic systems and more particularly to an airborne system including either a (VOR/LOC) VHF omnirange/localizer or a communication transceiver or both.
In the past airborne avionic systems have included a communication transceiver stacked with a VOR/LOC receiver for operator convenience. The communication transceiver and VOR/LOC receiver includes panels having a pair of displays and knob controlled frequency selectors for selecting an active and a standby channel. A megahertz knob is coaxially alligned with a kilohertz knob for channel selection. To facilitate knob selection the megahertz knob has a diameter significantly larger than the kilohertz knob and is mounted behind the kilohertz knob.
In addition, the VOR/LOC receiver includes a toggle switch which provided for switching one of the displays between the standby frequency and a TO bearing and a FROM bearing for a selected channel station. Further a slidable button type switch provided for switching the active and standby displays. When the switch is made between a standby channel frequency and a bearing, the channel frequency is stored in a non-volatile RAM for switching back to the channel.
Several disadvantages attend the use of the prior art devices. For example, the manipulation of the channel tuning knobs are time consuming and channel changes are often required to be made by crew members when they are under heavy cockpit work loads, e.g. when preparing to land the aircraft. Further, the entry of only a standby and an active channel frequency limitation often necessitates the entry of additional channel frequencies during travel from a departure point to a destination point.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved airborne avionic system which is easy to operate and maintain.
Another object is to provide an airborne avionic system including a low cost VOR/LOC receiver and a communication transceiver which have substantially similar front panels and substantially identical operational procedures.
A further object of the invention is to provide an airborne avionic system having multiple function capability which is selectable through a function controller for operating mode selection and which is easy to learn and simple to operate.
Still a further object of the invention is to provide an airborne avionic system including a programmable VOR/LOC receiver and/or communication transceiver permitting prior to take off the selection, entry and storage of channel frequencies necessary for take off, flight operations at way points and landing at a preselected destination point.
Briefly stated this invention comprises an airborne avionic system including a VOR/LOC (VHF omnirange/localizer) receiver and communication transceiver having panels including keyboards with numerically numbered press keys, multiple function selection switches, a pair of displays, function control press keys and indicators all of which are connected to a data processing means. The data processing means of the VOR/LOC receiver and communications transceiver, in response to their function selection and keyboard entry, stores a plurality of frequencies for active and standby channels which are selected for navigating and communicating in an aircraft from take off at a departure point through landing at a destination point. The processor means controls: frequency synthesizers for generating the selected (active) channel frequencies, the VOR/LOC receiver circuits and the communication transmitter receiver circuits, and the panels displays and indicators. The processing means is also utilized as a computing means in the navigation system, for example, in the clock mode and in the dead reckoning mode. In the clock mode timer functions are provided, under key press control, in the right side display. The timer function is useful in timing certain events during flight operations. In the dead reckoning mode the pilot can enter data describing aircraft speed over the ground and distance to destination and the navigation system computes and displays distance and time to destination and distance to destination and ground speed.